1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a security module for devices (e.g., electronic devices), particularly a security module for communicating with an external site for remote monitoring of the devices for purposes such as tracking assets and assisting in the recovery of stolen or lost assets, and more particularly a wireless security module for such purposes. Such devices may include, without limitations, processor controlled devices such as computers, and systems which include processor based devices, such as photocopiers.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,998 assigned to Lo-Jack Corporation describes a method for the theft recovery of automobiles in which police tracking vehicles home-in on periodic transponder radio transmissions automatically activated by command activation signals broadcast on the same carrier frequency with encoded vehicle identification information that causes the intended vehicle transponder to reply.
GM's OnStar technology provides a generic wireless platform for delivering services to a mobile system. In the case of OnStar, the mobile system is an automobile, not a user portable device such as a laptop. OnStar can be used for theft recovery and may be used to deliver other services as well. With OnStar, a device contacts a remote station upon a user initiated event.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,748,084, relates to an object tracking, communication, and management system for a laptop computer or similar device, wherein a beacon or transceiver in the computer implements file integrity or device recovery steps such as transmitting, destroying or encoding sensitive data, and emitting a trackable RF signal. A combination of hardware and software within the beacon and the host system initiates and coordinates the operation of communications or security features. For example, communication may be initiated by failure to enter a correct password, a tampering event or by a broadcast signal to the device. Under normal circumstances the beacon implements a standard communication function for the device, such as email, voice or fax. Tamper detection logic is implemented in software or hardware. An incoming data call preferably contains low-level beacon control commands which are interpreted by the beacon prior to the alerting or passing of the data to the computer. Preferably low level codes operate at the BIOS level for performing emergency functions when higher level software or plug-in components have been overridden or removed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,362,736 provides a system for automatically locating a personal electronic object. The system comprises at least two wireless communicators. When security of the system is compromised, as determined by a tamper sensor or by a user becoming aware of its theft, and access to a computer network or a wireless network is available, the location as determined by a GPS device is transmitted through a communicator.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,636,175 discloses an invention which allows a user to locate a remote paging device located on a person or piece of property to determine its physical position. The position of the remote device is determined by a GPS transceiver and is sent to a position service provider. The position of the remote device is then displayed on a map for the user. In one embodiment a Bluetooth communications network is used, for example in an amusement park or a shopping mall where Bluetooth hubs can be set up at regular intervals.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,950,946 describes a method for discovering and optionally recovering stolen or lost network-attachable computer systems. A network-attachable computer system generates identity information which comprises a secure identifier ID which is protected using an encryption key. This identity information is automatically sent via a network interface to a server module, where it is used to determine whether the respective computer system is reported lost or stolen. The scheme is preferably implemented in hardware, because alternately an operating system (OS) or software implementation can be modified to deactivate the scheme.
US Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0117316 discloses systems and methods for locating and tracking a wireless device, comprising a remote database for storing location information for the wireless device. The systems and methods may include and work in conjunction with a safety mode of the wireless device, which directs the wireless device to enter a low power-use mode, a sleep mode, or a shut-down mode during periods of device inactivity. An electronic wake-up call or a password are preferably required to inactivate or cancel the safety mode.
US Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0123307 discloses a computing platform security apparatus, systems, and methods. Apparatus and systems, as well as methods and articles, may operate to receive status from an OS-independent module capable of providing OS-independent geolocation information associated with a device to a network at some time before executing an operating system. The OS-independent module may be attached to, co-located with, or separated from the device.
The foregoing referenced systems share at least a common drawback, namely the inability to communicate externally should the existing communication interface becomes unavailable or non-functional.
Absolute Software Corporation, the assignee of the present invention, has developed and is marketing Computrace, a product and service that securely tracks assets and recovers lost and stolen assets, and AbsoluteTrack, a secure asset tracking, and inventory management, solution powered by the Computrace technology platform. Computrace deploys a stealth agent, which is a software client that resides on the hard drive of host computers. Once installed, the agent automatically contacts a monitoring center on a regular basis transmitting location information and all auto-discovered asset data points. Ongoing communication between the agent and the monitoring center requires no user intervention and is maintained via an Internet or phone connection. As long as the computer is turned on and has either a connection to a telephone line or access to the Internet (through an ISP or through a company network), the Computrace agent will be able to report asset data to the monitoring center. The user intervention-free communication between the agent and a monitoring center ensures the authorized user of the agent to have secure access to up-to-date location information and comprehensive asset data about their entire computer inventory. Whether used stand-alone, or as a complement to an existing asset management tool, AbsoluteTrack has been a cost-effective application service for helping businesses of all sizes monitor remote, mobile and desktop computers and perform daily hardware and software inventory tracking functions. Computrace has been an effective tool to track theft of mobile computers, and to recovery of stolen mobile computers.
The technology underlying various Computrace products and services have been disclosed and patented in the U.S. and other countries, which patents had been commonly assigned to Absolute Software Corporations. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,715,174; 5,764,892; 5,802,280; 6,244,758; 6,269,392; 6,300,863; and 6,507,914; and related foreign patents. Further information concerning AbsoluteTrack has been published by Absolute Software Corporation (e.g., AbsoluteTrack—Secure Computer Asset Tracking Solution, a white paper, published Apr. 25, 2003).
The modes of communication available to the agent directly impact the ability to track the computer. While the Computrace agent is currently able to communicate via an ethernet, Wi-Fi, other internet or phone connections, it would be desirable to develop an apparatus which would permit the agent to communicate should these existing connections be unavailable or become unavailable, for example due to not using or connecting the computer for an extended period of time. It would be desirable to initiate communications in real time as opposed to a scheduled call. It would also be desirable to communicate if the Computrace agent is unable to do so due to absence of a host OS, presence of an unsupported OS, presence of a firewall or the host system not being powered. It would be desirable to report on attributes of the OS even if the OS is not running. It would also be desirable to have the ability to wake-up the host system and carry out data protection measures or other servicing operations. One or more of these desirable features are provided by the theft recovery and asset tracking system described below.